Under the night sky, a massive steel bird soared silently through the air.
Each flap of its wings barely made a sound, so subtle it was almost imperceptible.
Throughout the entire flight, Natsu and i, seated atop the Corviknight, hardly felt a single jolt of turbulence.
One had to admit—there was good reason Corviknight was nicknad the "Airborne Bus."
Huge fra, smooth ride.
For Corviknight, stable flight wasn't just a skill—it was an instinct etched into its very bones.
It hardly needed any training to master it.
Just like how, for a Pidgeot, speed was a drive rooted deep in its DNA.
Having once taken the “Shiny Pidgeot Express,” Natsu could personally attest—
Shiny Pidgeot was fast.
If you were in a hurry, it was definitely the ride to catch.
That was all there was to it, really.
You could say speed was Shiny Pidgeot’s greatest strength—also the only thing worth praising about its flying.
There wasn’t much else to comnd.
Just that blinding speed and reckless flying posture of Shiny Pidgeot...
Even Natsu, soone capable of knocking out Pokémon barehanded, found it hard to endure.
Let alone the average Trainer.
Any regular Trainer hoping to ride a Pidgeot—
Aside from prepping all safety asures and bracing themselves ntally—
They also had to strike a deal with Pidgeot beforehand: under no circumstances was it to fly at top speed.
Normal humans simply couldn’t handle that kind of velocity.
Back to the present, on the Corviknight’s back—
Natsu and i sat just like they did when they first set out.
Only now, the space between them had shrunk, to the point where they were practically leaning against one another.
There’s a term for that—social distance.
The closer people are emotionally, the more they unconsciously reduce that distance.
And people who aren’t as close? Even when unaware, they’ll instinctively keep so space between them.
Natsu and i were now well past the distance typical between friends.
Their relationship was now that of a couple.
“It still feels a little unreal,” i murmured.
Feeling the cool night breeze, she instinctively leaned toward the warmth beside her.
Seeing her resting against him, Natsu subtly adjusted his posture so i could lean on him more comfortably, with less effort.
“Maybe because we’ve already been living like this for a while now.”
For most couples, things start with tentative steps, teasing flirtation, drawn-out ambiguity… before finally breaking through that invisible wall and freely indulging in each other.
After that sweet, sticky phase passes, it eventually settles into calm routine.
You grow used to having soone beside you.
Living out each uneventful day together.
That’s how it usually goes.
But Natsu and i?
They’d skipped all the preamble.
And jumped straight to the “married couple living together” phase.
Though they didn’t always wake up to each other’s face in the morning, the first thing they’d do was look for signs of the other.
If Natsu had business early in the day, he’d tell the overly responsible Indeedee where he was going—
So i could know his whereabouts.
i did the sa.
On the farm, that poor female Indeedee had basically beco their live-in ssenger.
Any little secret, any random tidbit, usually passed through her first.
It got to the point where female Indeedee started giving them these oddly… maternal looks.
Hard to describe, really.
If you had to label it, maybe like a stan mom watching her favorite ship beco canon?
Yeah, Natsu didn’t really get any of that stuff.
He knew just enough to recognize the general vibe.
And that was the closest comparison he could co up with for the way Indeedee now looked at them.
To her, this must’ve felt like watching her OTP finally go official.
Well, not quite.
Romance is just the beginning.
You could say the ship had finally found its racetrack and was now properly off to the races.
“At last,” i whispered.
“Maybe that really is the reason,” she added, snuggled against Natsu’s chest, seamlessly stepping into her new role.
Except—calling it a “new role” didn’t feel quite right.
Because she’d long been used to Natsu being part of her everyday life.
The chill of the evening wind brushed past.
And with it, i felt a strange drowsiness settle in.
Like a weight inside her had finally dropped.
At the start of this journey, she’d been a rookie Trainer just setting out.
Natsu was a newly minted farm owner, not much more experienced.
They were close in age, each chasing their own dream.
But not long after, before i could even fully grow into a skilled Trainer—
Natsu rocketed ahead at a pace she simply couldn’t fathom.
Beating Legendaries. Capturing them. Becoming the youngest Gym Leader in Jadeleaf history.
Just a few lines on paper—
But i had only ever seen stuff like that in textbooks.
To her, people like that were distant, unreachable—legends she could only read about and admire.
And now, one such legend stood before her.
Not just soone she knew—
But a boy she liked.
The quiet, gentle youth in her mories, always smiling as he patted Pokémon on the head, had suddenly beco soone remarkable.
It was like that awkward, mumbly weirdo from your class suddenly turning into a nationwide heartthrob overnight.
The sheer contrast had made i question if she still had a place in Natsu’s world.
Different standings ant seeing different horizons.
i had been terrified of losing common ground, of running out of things to say, of quietly slipping out of his life.
That fear had led her to go off “training” for a long ti.
Running from place to place, exhausting herself just to stay in motion.
Then…
She found herself once again at the farm’s gate.
Familiar, yet tinged with strangeness, the sight no longer filled her with dread.
“Natsu.”
“What is it?”
“Nothing. Just… wanted to say your na.”
She nuzzled further into his embrace, voice muffled and sleepy.
She was exhausted.
Didn’t feel it while walking around earlier, but now that they’d stopped, everything ached.
Her ankles, her shoulders, even the muscles in her back.
She really should’ve rested properly last night.
She winced at the thought.
Trying to catch Natsu’s first Gym challenge, she’d rushed back the mont her own training ended.
Didn’t even pause for proper rest.
Tonight—hot bath, good sleep.
She was tired, yes, but skipping a shower was not an option.
She had to be squeaky clean before bed...
Slowly, i’s eyes drifted shut.
“Let nap for a few minutes,” she murmured.
“Mm. I’ll wake you when we get to the farm.”
Natsu’s arms naturally wrapped around her waist, turning him into a human safety harness.
Dozing mid-flight was way riskier than sleepy driving, after all.
You could be nodding off one second and free-falling through the sky the next.
i rubbed her head against his chest, finding a cozy spot to rest.
Her body turned slightly—her casually tied ponytail brushing against Natsu’s chin.
She wrapped her arms around his torso like a sloth clinging to a tree, letting herself doze.
Hearing the soft sounds from his passengers, Corviknight quietly reduced altitude and speed.
Hmph. Natsu didn’t even need to say a word—I already knew what he wanted.
This kind of teamwork? No other Pokémon could match it!
Clearly, I am Natsu’s most important steed.
With a proud lift of its head, Corviknight’s eyes glead with smug confidence.
Sotis, Corviknight felt like a corporate drone.
When there was no work, it felt like it was wasting away. When there was work, it wished it could disappear.
But just as it was about to be let go? Suddenly life didn’t seem so bad anymore.
Even with the slower pace, their destination finally ca into view.
“i, we’re here.”
Natsu probably didn’t even realize it—
But his voice was much gentler than usual.
Corviknight turned its head, its expression like it had just seen a ghost.
Excuse ? Boss Natsu?
That’s how you talk to people now?
Pretty sure that’s not your usual tone with .
What, did they swap out your voice actor or sothing?
“Mm…”
Rubbing her eyes, i felt like all the strength had drained from her body.
She had that all-too-familiar feeling of not wanting to move.
Her gaze instinctively lingered for a few seconds on the Poké Balls clipped to her waist.
Then, she looked toward Natsu, who was getting ready to dismount from Corviknight.
Spreading her arms out, she spoke in a tone that was practically a whine:
“Carry back. I don’t wanna move. Too lazy.”
Yep. That was very cute.
Natsu paused for a mont, considering the sight before him as he hopped off Corviknight.
“Caw caw.”
He gave Corviknight a few pats on the neck. Without needing any further instructions, Corviknight imdiately lowered itself.
Its whole body pressed to the ground, the bird made every effort to resemble a perfectly respectable stepping stool.
I am a step, I am a step, I am a step…
Corviknight repeated the mantra to itself like self-convincing.
“Let’s see…”
After giving i a quick once-over, Natsu suddenly reached out.
His arm slid under the crook of her knees and, with a swift motion, he lifted her up.
In a princess carry.
“W-Wait, hold on!”
“Wait a sec!!”
i, who had been drowsy just a second ago, was instantly wide awake.
A sudden surge of energy filled her exhausted body.
Like a cat being dragged into the bathroom for a bath, she started struggling wildly.
“Stop squirming.”
“You’re making it hard for to get a good grip.”
A lie, of course.
For Natsu, carrying i was no effort at all.
With her weight, forget the princess carry—he could probably lift her with one hand.
Ah, the physique of a Super Hisuian (crossed out).
“You don’t like this position?”
Feeling i squirming frantically in his arms, Natsu asked with so confusion.
He’d read online that most girls actually dread of being carried like this, didn’t they?
“It’s not that I don’t like it!”
“That’s not the issue at all!”
i wanted to say it wasn’t the pose she had a problem with.
She was just embarrassed.
She didn’t want the Pokémon on the farm to see this.
Natsu, princess-carrying her in broad daylight, in front of everyone.
So mortifying!
It was like getting caught doing sothing indecent at ho—by your cat.
And Pokémon were way smarter than cats.
Which just made the embarrassnt that much worse.
“Then it’s not a problem.”
Ignoring her protests entirely, Natsu remained utterly composed.
Surprisingly assertive at this mont, too.
“Indeedee, open the door for , please.”
Since both of his hands were full, he called for his trusty assistant.
On the farm, Natsu had two major helpers.
The external brain who helped with planning and logistics—Slowking.
And the one who handled household tasks and general chores—his little sister-like Indeedee.
Indeedee’s abilities were beyond question.
And she had a great personality too.
Way better than that annoying Slowking, who always looked at people like they were idiots.
Yes, Natsu had the honor of being one of the many who’d been judged lacking by Slowking’s standards.
After all, whenever Slowking was around, Natsu had long since given up thinking for himself.
It was only natural to be looked down on.
At this point, he could accept those condescending eyes with total peace of mind.
“Ee?”
When she opened the door, Indeedee froze for a mont at the scene before her.
Bathed in the warm light spilling from the house, Natsu stood there holding i in a princess carry.
anwhile, i had both hands clamped tightly over her face, unwilling to let anyone see her expression.
But from the flush spreading all the way to her neck, it wasn’t hard to guess how she felt.
“Ee~”
Welco ho~
Collecting herself quickly, Indeedee stepped aside and welcod Natsu and i back inside.
Though that auntie-like grin on her face was utterly impossible to hide.
Ah, youth really is sothing.
…Wait, wasn’t she technically still a kid too?
With a tiny hand propped under her chin, Indeedee pondered the thought.
But the question was soon forgotten.
Wearing a smile that could only be described as “full of mysterious implications,” she quietly watched the interaction between Natsu and i.
“I’m going to my room!”
“Don’t forget to shower first.”
“I know, I know. Wanna join , Natsu?”
Like she’d just rembered sothing, i turned her head with a mischievous smirk.
She read online that guys usually get all flustered when girls said this kind of thing—
“Sure, I’ll grab so towels.”
Natsu looked at her with perfect calm.
Not even the faintest trace of embarrassnt. He even started to move as if to fetch the towels.
“My apologies. Excuse . I’ll see myself out. Good night.”
Four quick and polite phrases later, i vanished from the room in a flash.
Damn it! Why isn’t this like what the internet said!?
She was sure it said boys always get super shy in monts like this!
Unfortunately, Natsu was not the kind of sweet, innocent boy who’d blush at a little teasing.
He was a grade-A, world-class smooth talker.
“All right, bedti.”
Natsu smiled as he addressed the Indeedee girl, who was still happily spectating by the sofa like a front-row audience at a drama.
“Ee~”
Okay~ Get so good rest, Natsu.
Waving a hand, she kept her usual gentle tone.
“Good night.”
With that, Natsu headed straight upstairs.
Since a lot of the Pokémon on the farm stayed up late or liked to wander around at night, he usually didn’t turn off the lights.
“w?”
Not long after Natsu left, w floated in from outside, tilting its head at the sight of Indeedee grinning from ear to ear.
What’s up with that grin?
“Ee~”
Oh, nothing. Just that Natsu and i finally got together.
“w?”
Huh?
What the heck happened while I was gone for a few hours!?
w fell into deep thought.
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